Locomotive-engine truck.



. c. H. HOWARD. LOGOMOTIVB ENGINE TRUCK. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1908.

916,556, Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

UNITED STATES PATENT onmon.

CLARENCE H. HOWARD, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO CAST STEEL TENDER-AND ENGINE TRUCK COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

LOCOMOTIVR-ENGIN'E TRUCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 30, 1909.

Application filed August 16, 1908. Serial No. 448,707.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE H. How- ARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have, 5 invented a new and useful Improvement in Locomotive-Engine Trucks, ofwhich the following is a specification. r

My invention relates particularly to a locomotive engine four-wheel truck, and is in the nature of an improvement on the Letters Patent of the United States granted to Thomas E. Adams, September 4, 1906,,N11I11- ber 830,274, for an improvement in enginetrucks, in which the side frames having the pedestals and spring-seats integral therewith are separately constructed from, and fixed to the transverse beam or center-bearing frame, by rivets or bolts, which are liable to work loose and im air the rigidity of the truck. In this true also, for removing the wheels, and axles, it is necessary to raise the 1 engine sufliciently for enabling the wheels and axles to clear the end pedestals thereby causing trouble, expense, and delay.

My invention has for its object to provide a strong, compact, and positively rigid truck frame having less material and fewer )arts, and to facilitate the removal of the axles.

It consists in features of novelty as hereinafter described and claimed, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawing formin" part of this specification, whereon,

Figure 1, is a top plan view of my imroved locomotive engine four-wheel truck;

ig. 2, a side elevation thereof, and Fig. 3, a vertical transverse section through the truck on line 3, 3, in Fig.- 1 (with its upright web in elevation for convenience of illustration).

Like letters and numerals of reference denote like parts in all the figures.

a represents my improved engine-truck which is composed preferably of cast steel and consists of the two opposite side frames (or wheel-pieces) I) having the spring-seats 1 integral therewith, and the transverse beam 0 which is integral with, and unites the side frames b together in the middle, the transverse beam 0 having the center-bearing 2 and the side-bearings 3 integral therewith and Y erforated vertically through the centerearing 2 for the king-bolt (not shown).

The side frames 1) and the transverse beam, or center-bearing frame, a in the present case, are preferably rectangular bar-shaped, and I-shaped respectively, in cross section, and are preferably formed at their junctions with each other with corner gusset-fillers 4 for insuring the maximum rigidity of the truck thereat. To the side frames 6 on their underside, are fixed the axle-box edestals d by bolts 5, whereby the pedesta s d can be readily removed from the truck frame for repair or. renewal without disconnecting and scrapping the side frames.

By the above construction the side frames 1) and the center-bearing beam 0 are combined in a single, homogeneous, strong, and rigid casting of compact and economical form; whereas if made separately and lixed together by flanges and rivets or bolts as in the said patent, the weight of material is increased and the lastenings, under the constant jar and shocks to which they are subjected to in service, are liable to work loose and cause ultimate breaka e and collaise of the truck; moreover, by fixing the ped eS- tals d to the side frames 1) in lieu of here integral therewith, either cdestal if bro (en, can be disconnected and renewed without interfering with the other parts of the frame, and by disconnecting the end pedestals the wheels and axlcscan be removed from the truck without the ncccssit engine to an excessive heigfit as is the case where the pedestals are integral with the side frames.

What i claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

A cast metal engine truck-frame, consisting of two opposite side members rectangular bar-shaped in cross section adapted for the attachment thereto of the axle-box pcdestals and having the springwseats integral therewith, a middle transverse member L shaped in cross section uniting the sidomemhers together and having the center-blurring integral therewith, and gusscts at the junctions of the said members with each other, substantially as described.

CLARENCE ll. HOWARD.

W itncsscs: 

